24Local Kitchen & Wine Bar

I am disconsolate that Local does not take reservations, because I would like to go there more often, thanks to chef Fabio Bondi's wonderful down-home Italiana. His passion is pasta, and his skill with it explains the crowds waiting for tables. Nobody else in town makes ziti from scratch. His papardelle are beautifully sauced with pheasant ragu and Parmiggiano Reggiano. He crumbles amaretti (little almond cookies) on pasta filled with squash and goat cheese, adding butter-fried fresh sage leaves to cut the sweetness. This guy can apparently not put a foot wrong - even smoked, a bizarre notion, work in feathery gnocchi with taleggio cheese and rapini. Good luck getting a table.